Troubleshooting

Check safety sensors (also called photo-eyes) – they could be misaligned, dirty, defective or have a bad wire connection. Also check to see if pressing and holding your wall button works to get the door to close (this overrides the sensor system).

This could be caused by several different issues – first check to make sure you don’t have a broken spring or cable. You never want to force a door closed in either of those situations.

It could also be a slight adjustment is needed to the operator forces or that the door and/or operator is just dry.

Align, clean or replace as needed.

This is typically a broken or frayed cable – do not run the door until it is repaired. Running a door with a cable issue can cause the door to come off track and is very dangerous and can cause damage to the door.

You most likely have a broken spring. It is common for the cables to drop from the drums when a spring breaks and it is not recommended to force the door to open. It is very dangerous and can cause damage to the door. Call for service.

The track could be bent, or the door may be in need of a slight adjustment. We recommend annual maintenance to ensure all bolts are properly fastened and party are properly lubricated.

This could be either an adjustment issue, the door being in need of lubrication or a broken hinge.

You may have a broken spring and the operator is sensing that the door is resisting and shuts itself down. Another possible issue would be a worn internal drive gear.

Replace the battery. If it’s not sending a consistent or strong signal you can clean the battery terminals with a Q-Tip and a small amount of rubbing alcohol.

Check the wall control. On most models there is a “lock” switch. This can be inadvertently activated and will lock out all accessories until it’s disengaged.

The spring tension needs to be adjusted. Service by a qualified and knowledgeable technician is recommended.

Logic board is failing.

Check for a broken roller or bent track.

Check for misaligned, dirty or defective safety sensors.

This is usually caused by worn part(s) such as rollers, hinges and bearings are the most common. Doors that are very dry and not maintained annually will not run as well and will wear out faster.

Internal drive gear is wearing and/or bent.

Internal drive gear is worn and needs replacement.

NOTE: Some operator models are no longer manufactured and parts are no longer available. We strive to repair all operators that are in otherwise good working condition as long as they meet federal safety rules and requirements.

Garage Door Terminology

Angle Mounted Track: A method of fastening a vertical track to a doorjamb using full height continuous angle. Typically for commercial garage doors.

Astragal: A weather-stripping added to the bottom of the garage door to seal the opening of the door that meets the floor.

Back Hangs: The vertical supports for the horizontal track, cross-braced to prevent lateral movement and track spread.

Battery Back-up: In the event of a power outage, a battery back-up can be used to open and close your garage door.

Bead-board Panels: These panels have a rectangular pattern with lines through them.

Belt Drive: A garage door opener that utilizes a belt, driven by an electric motor, to open and close your garage door.

Bottom Bracket: A structural support that is located on the bottom section of the garage door. This provides for attachment of the lifting cables on sectional garage doors. This is also called “Bottom Corner Bracket”

Cable Drums: Grooved drums on the torsion spring shaft that lifting cables wind around when the garage door is moving to the open position. This allows the cable to be accumulated or dispensed in a orderly manner and to prevent lapping or cable chafing.

Center Hinge: A flat hinge that is located on all intermediate stiles to allow for garage door sections to turn the track radius as the door opens.

Chain Drive: A type of garage door opener that is chain driven by an electric motor to open and close the door. This is typically the most economical, but makes the most noise.

Clearances: The amount of space (side room, headroom and backroom) needed for proper installation of a sectional garage door.

Cycle: One complete cycle begins with the garage door in the closed position. The door is then opened and closed again. Note: Torsion spring operated garage doors with higher-than-normal cycle life requirements may be specified with 25,000, 50,000, or 100,000 cycle springs.

Door Balance: The counter weight or force applied to a garage door so that it is able to easily open and close.

Door Frame: The frame in which a garage door fits, consisting of a door header and two upright members called doorjambs.

Door Size: Always specify the width first and then the height. 8’6” wide by 7’3” high.

Emergency Release Rope: This is the red rope that hangs from the door trolley. It is connected to the door and can be used to open the door manually

Exterior Lock: A keyed lock that can be operated on the exterior of a garage door.

Emergency Release Rope: This is the red rope that hangs from the door trolley. It is connected to the door and can be used to open the door manually

Exterior Lock: A keyed lock that can be operated on the exterior of a garage door.

Galvanizing: A zinc coating that helps protect steel from corrosion.

Glass, Insulated: Two pieces of glass spaced apart and hermetically sealed to form a single-glazed unit with an air space between. Heat transmission through this type of glass can be lowered as much as half compared to non-insulated glass.

Glass, Tempered: Reheated to just below the melting point and then suddenly cooled. When shattered it breaks into small pieces.

Glass, Wire: Polished or rough glass. Wire mesh is embedded within the glass so that the glass will not shatter when broken.

Glazed, Glazing: A section of windows or lites in place of a steel or aluminum panel.

Headroom: This is a measurement from the top of the garage door opening upward to the lowest building obstruction on the inside of the header wall. This measurement is used for vertical clearance all the way back to the end of the horizontal track.

High Cycle Spring: Special counterbalance springs with increased life cycle capability for high usage garage doors.

Hinges: These make the independent sections act as a complete garage door, and the sections must be hinged together. They are typically found on the end stiles and center stiles at the meeting rails. All hinges perform two basic functions within your garage door system. One, they join the sections together with bolts and screws. Two, they allow the sections to break, independent to one another as the garage door travels up and down in the its cycle.

Incline: A slope or slant that follows the roof pitch.

Inside Lock: Spring loaded, sliding deadbolt lock that is only operational from the inside of the garage door.

Insulation: A material that has the ability to lower the transmission of heat or cold.

Other Insulation Terms:

BTU: Amount of heat necessary to raise the temperature of one pound of water, one degree Fahrenheit.

K-Value or Thermal Conductivity: Laboratory-determined value of the thermal conductance of a material or how easily heat passes across it.

R-Value or Thermal Resistance: Ability of a material to keep out the transmission of heat. The higher the R-Value, the better the garage door insulation performance or the capacity of which an insulated material is able to resist heat flow.

U-Factor or Heat Transmission Coefficient: The amount of heat, in BTU, transmitted through one square foot of material (the garage door) in one hour at a temperature difference of 1 degree Fahrenheit from one side to the other. The lower the U-value the better the insulated material.

Jamb Seal: Weather-stripping attached to the garage door jamb to provide a seal along the jambs to prevent drafts. See Vinyl Door Stop.

Jambs: The upright framing on each side of a door opening (garage door, entry door, etc.). When wood jambs are specified, the vertical track is mounted to the inside surface of the jamb and the stop molding is nailed to the side surface within the opening.

Keyless Entry: This is a wireless garage door keypad opener that allows you to open and close your garage with a code typically mounted to the exterior garage door jamb.

Lift Clearance: This is in reference to the track hardware that causes a garage door to rise vertically some distance before leveling out in the horizontal position. Also known as “High Lift Track.” Lift clearance is the distance above the top of the garage opening to the underside of the horizontal tracks.

Lift-Handle: A handle, normally on the bottom section of the garage door, to assist in manually lifting the sectional door.

LiftMaster: A manufacturer of garage door and gate openers for both residential and commercial uses.

Long Panels: Have a rectangular pattern along the door. Long panels have two rectangles on a single car garage door and four rectangles on a double door.

Lubricant: Oils and greases used to help different parts of the door move smoothly and prevent rust or part lock-up.

Mullion: This is a slender dividing bar between two garage doors. It is usually designed to carry horizontal (wind) load but not vertical load.

Opening Size: Frequently called daylight opening or finished opening. Dimensions are taken between masonry and wood walls between steel jambs.

Opening Width: The distance between jambs of the garage door opening.

Pane: The area between vertical stiles in garage door sections.

Perimeter Seal: Complete weather-stripping package for sectional garage doors, consisting of astragal, jamb seal and header seal.

Perimeter Wearstrip: Vinyl or felt attached to a corrugated sheet door curtain to prevent rubbing. Located at the ends or drum locations.

Rain or Water Stop: A step at the edge of the garage floor, approximately 1” higher than the outside finish.

Raised Panels: These have a raised rectangular pattern along the length of the door.

Recessed Panels: Have recessed or pushed back rectangles

Rollers: Steel, ball-bearing wheels or nylon rollers that allow sections to roll freely along garage door tracks.

Roll-up: The garage door rolls up into a coil, usually for commercial applications.

Safety Spring Containment: An extra cable that is used with garage door extension springs. This helps prevent it from causing damage or injury if a spring(s) were to break. The cable is threaded through the center of the spring and is secured on both ends of the horizontal track.

Screw Drive: A garage door opener that uses a screw attached to the opener motor that drives the door to open and close.

Sectional Garage Doors: Garage doors are made of two or more horizontal sections hinged together to provide a door large enough to close the entire opening. Sectional doors are guided into the horizontal or open position by a system of vertical or horizontal tracks. They may be fabricated of continuous roll-formed steel with reinforcing ribs or flush sections of steel or aluminum.

Side Room: This is a horizontal measurement from each side of the garage door opening outward along the wall to the nearest obstruction within the building.

Short Panels: Similar to long panels, short panels have rectangular patterns along the garage door. They have four rectangles on a single garage door and eight rectangles on a double door.

Slide to the side: The garage door slides to the side of your garage when it opens.

Swing Out: Hinged on the sides and swing open from the center.

Swing Up: Also known as tilt up garage doors, they tilt out and upward to open.

Screw Drive: A garage door opener that uses a screw attached to the opener motor that drives the door to open and close.

Side Room: This is a horizontal measurement from each side of the garage door opening outward along the wall to the nearest obstruction within the building.

Short Panels: Similar to long panels, short panels have rectangular patterns along the garage door. They have four rectangles on a single garage door and eight rectangles on a double door.

Slide to the side: The garage door slides to the side of your garage when it opens.

Swing Out: Hinged on the sides and swing open from the center.

Swing Up: Also known as tilt up garage doors, they tilt out and upward to open.

Vinyl Door Stop: PVC door stop with a vinyl flap that is mounted to the exterior jamb for weather resistance. Available in multiple colors.

Weather-strip: A narrow strip of material to cover the joint of the door or window to keep the heat and cold out.

Wind Load: The ability of a product to withstand high speed winds, such as hurricanes and tornadoes.